Borderlands Movie Bombed, But Director Blames COVID: Here’s What Really Went Down

When the Borderlands movie dropped in August last year, fans hoped for a chaotic, loot-filled joyride through Pandora. Instead, they got what many now call one of the biggest cinematic misfires in video game adaptation history. The film tanked at the box office, earned brutal reviews, and left fans scratching their heads. Now, director Eli Roth is offering some behind-the-scenes context—and he’s pointing the finger at pandemic-era production chaos.

Speaking on The Town podcast, Roth opened up about just how messy things got. “We couldn't prep in a room together, I couldn't be with my stunt people, I couldn't do pre-visualization, everyone's spread all over the place,” he said. “You can't prep a movie on that scale over Zoom.”

According to Roth, the production was plagued by disorganization from the get-go, thanks to COVID-19 restrictions. Reshoots had to be done across multiple cities, often just as new outbreaks would force sets to shut down. “Total chaos,” Roth called it, and he didn’t sugarcoat the outcome: “We all thought we could pull it off and we got our asses handed to us a bit.”

A Box Office Disaster—and Fans Agreed

The movie starred big names like Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, but even their talent couldn’t save it. Critics hit it hard, with Rotten Tomatoes slapping it with a measly 10% score. One critic called it “lifeless, unfunny, and visually repulsive”—ouch. It managed just $4 million across 3,125 theaters on opening day before being quietly shuffled onto streaming platforms.

But the box office wasn’t the only issue. Hardcore Borderlands fans took issue with the film’s tone and its strange departure from the beloved source material. Fan-favorite Tiny Tina was rewritten into a genetically-engineered part-alien “chosen one.”

And don’t even get started on Lilith. Instead of being portrayed as a siren from the get-go—something fans definitely already know—the movie played it like a plot twist. Big mistake.

Roth Wasn’t Even There for the Final Cut

Here’s the kicker: Eli Roth didn’t even finish the movie himself. Due to scheduling conflicts (he went off to direct the slasher Thanksgiving), Deadpool’s Tim Miller stepped in to oversee the reshoots and final edit. Roth admitted that he hadn’t seen the final cut before release and was just as surprised by the outcome as everyone else.

“Am I at the point of my career where I'm going to sit down to watch my own movie that says I wrote and directed it, and I really genuinely don't know what's going to happen?” Roth said, summing up the surreal experience.

A Silver Lining (Sort Of?)

Despite the critical meltdown, Borderlands publisher Take-Two found something to smile about. CEO Strauss Zelnick claimed the movie—while disappointing—actually gave the games a sales boost. So hey, at least some good came out of it?

And if you're still salty about the movie, there’s reason to look ahead. Borderlands 4, the next major title in the franchise, developed by Gearbox Software, is dropping for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S as well as Nintendo Switch 2 on September 23.